Travelling China’s Silk Road

“I did not tell half of what I saw…” Thus spoke Marco Polo of his travels along the Silk Road. As these words reveal, the important, legendary and treacherous trading route that linked China to Europe has been the source of myth and legend. What is life like for its current inhabitants? Four writers will take you there.

Nick Holdstock, author of forthcoming book China’s Forgotten People, will offer his perspective on Xinjiang. Holdstock will be in conversation with Ablimit Baki Elterish, who is originally from Xinjiang and teaches Chinese language at University of Manchester and conducts research on Xinjiang Studies including aspects of the Silk Road. Chairing the event is Michael Dillon, who has written several critically acclaimed books on the region.

Complimenting the talk will be a display of British Library images on the Silk Road, thus giving face to a fascinating region.